Purdue Senior Honored at ESPN The Magazine’s College Basketball Awards

Purdue senior All-American basketball player Katie Douglas was awarded the first-ever V Foundation Comeback of the Year Award, determined by The V Foundation in conjunction with ESPN. Douglas accepted the honor at the nationally televised inaugural Capital One Presents ESPN The Magazine’s College Basketball Awards, held in Minneapolis in conjunction with the men’s Final Four.

2001: Purdue Senior Katie Douglas is interviewd by ESPN's Chris Fowler, after accepting the first V Foundation Comeback of the Year Award on ESPN The Magazine's College Basketball Awards.

Douglas, a swing forward on Purdue’s 2000 NCAA Championship runner-up squad is from Indianapolis, Indiana. She overcame personal loss to help lead her team to the 1999 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship and capture two straight Big Ten Player of the Year honors (2000, 2001). In June 1997, her father, Ken, lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. Katie was 18 years old at the time. Less than three years later, in April 2000, Katie’s mother, Karen, lost her life to breast cancer.

In between those two tragedies, Katie’s teammate and friend, Tiffany Young, died in a tragic car accident. Following her mother’s death, Katie considered not returning to Purdue for her senior season. She also underwent off-season ankle surgery in April 2000.

“The perseverance and strength that Katie has displayed is an inspiration to all of us,” said Nick Valvano, CEO of The V Foundation. “She is the perfect choice to receive this first-time honor. Like other terrible diseases, cancer impacts individuals and families. Katie has risen above all these challenges and typifies what Jim meant when he said ‘Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up!”’

Douglas added: “This is definitely the most special honor I’ve ever received. I have never considered myself to be an exceptional person. I’ve just tried to move forward, live my life and do what’s right for me and my family. My biggest desire through all of this is to help others. If people can see and appreciate what I’ve gone through, maybe it will give them strength to get through the tough times in their own lives.”

Douglas was selected from a group of other comeback candidates that included: Martha Chaput and Mandy Kappel (Drake women’s basketball), Amanda Cleveland (Nebraska women’s basketball), Teddy Dupay (Florida men’s basketball), Dave Korfman (UC-Irvine men’s basketball), Toya Releford (Oklahoma State women’s basketball), Beth Vice (Alabama women’s basketball) and Amy Waugh (Xavier women’s basketball).